Liverpool defender Kolo Toure has insisted that his captain Steven Gerrard will get over their FA Cup Semi Final loss to Aston Villa, despite a shared sadness within the squad.
Toure sat on the bench as the Reds were defeated 2-1 by Villa, as goals from Christian Benteke and Fabian Delph ended dreams of a fairytale fairwell for Gerrard as the skipper prepares for his departure to Los Angeles Galaxy in the summer.
Despite Gerrard's personal anguish, the Ivorian insisted that the team was more disappointed at not being able to bring home a trophy for the fans, in a season where the Reds have been poor in both the Barclays Premier League and UEFA Champions League.
"You feel bad. It is always difficult when you lose a semi-final like that," Toure told Press Association Sport.
"The defeat is the thing. Of course we wanted to do very well for the last game of Stevie for the club but at the end of the day, we wanted to do it for the fans because this club deserves to have a trophy.
"He (Gerrard) is fine. Of course he is sad, like all the dressing room, but he has been in this game for a long time and he knows how to deal with these situations.
The loss of Brazilian midfielder Lucas Leiva to a thigh injury picked up in training days before the game has been attributed as a big factor in Liverpool's loss, allowing Gerrard to step into the team. Toure however, insisted that it was Liverpool's collective performance that led to their defeat, not the loss of one player.
"Lucas is a great player but we had players who could do the job," told Toure.
"Collectively we were not very good. Villa really fought and gave everything to win the game."
"Collectively we were not very good. Villa really fought and gave everything to win the game."